Treating flexible sheet material



May 14, 19.29. I J; w. COSGROVE ,60

TREATING FLEXIBLE SHEET MATERIAL Filed April 2'7. 1922 Patented May 14,1929.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JOHN W. COSGROVE, OF MEDFORD, MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNOR TO UNITED SHOEMACHINERY CORPORATION, OF BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS, A CORPORATION OF NEWJERSEY.

TREATING FLEXIBLE SHEET MATERIAL.

Original application filed April 27, 1922, Seria1 No. 556,870. Dividedand. this application filed March This invention relates to treatingflexible sheet material such as is used in footwear, and moreparticularly concerns a method of applying adhesive to the tops oruppers of tennis or like rubber-sole shoes, the present applicationbeing a division of myco-pending application Ser. No. 556,870 filedApril 27, 1922 which has resulted in Letters Patent of the United StatesNo. 1,682,036 dated Aug. 28, 1928.

The tops of tennis shoes are sometimes formed with the edges about thetoe-portions scalloped, so that the tops may lie more smoothly whenlasted over the insoles, due to the absence of protuberances in j thegathered-in material. In cementing such tops for their attachment to theinsoles, it is desired that, adjacent to the scalloped portion, the workshall be coated over the full extent of the projections and over some ofthe adjacent material inside the bases of the projections, and thatbeyond these scallops the edge shall receive a band of the adhesiveofless width. This operation presents difiieulties, because theprojections from the body 4 of the material are easily displaced ortwisted leading to their being stuck together in an undesired relationin which they will not properly extend over the insole in lasting.

Then, too, an applying member operating over the projections will alsoact between them, and tend todeposit cement upon the usual co'operatingpressure or work-support ing member. The last-mentioned tendency alsoaccompanies the coating of the narrower area at each side of thescallops. This daubing of thepressure member piles cement up at thebases of the scallops, causing objectionably uneven coating.

Accordingly, an object of the invention is to devise a method of coatingwork which has projections from its body portion so that the work may becoated uniformly and without distortion. 1n the attainment of thisobject my novel method is characterized by the holding together of thecoating member and a piece of work having the above described or similarcharacteristics in applying relation in such i'taehion that hisspressure Serial No. 178,435.

is applied over the projections than over the body of the work. Themethod, as applied to a scalloped shoe upper, is characterized byholding the shoe upper against a coating member with only a moderatepressure against the projecting parts of the scallops of the shoe upperand with a greater pressure against the adjacent area of the body of theshoe upper as a coating. is applied thereto. Clearly enough, the feedingof a piece of work having the general characteristics of those hereinunder consideration could not be successfully accomplished by engagementof a feeding device with the projections of the scalloped portion and ifthe feeding device were to be arranged as is frequently the case insimilar machines for treating flexible sheet material so that it engagesthe work near its edge, then, while it would be all right forthenonscalloped portion of the material, it would be entirely unsuitablefor the scalloped portion. "With these considerations in View, inanother aspect, the method of treating flexible sheet material, such asis suitable for foot-wear, provided by this invention, involves feedingthe material while a cement ing operation is being performed on the edgeportion thereof by applying force to the body of the material within thescalloped part of the material and closely adjacent to the non-scallopedpart of the material in a path substantially parallel to the generaldirection of the edge. Thus, the ini ention ischaracterizod by guidng apiece of flea; ible material. with reference to one predetermined pointduring the treatment of a portion of the peripheryof the material and byguiding it with rcferei'lce to still another predetermined point duringthe treatment of another portion of the poriphery of the piece of-thematerial. This shifting of the work from one referei'ice point toanother may take place during the progressive treatment of the work sothat the action is substantially continuous.

In the accompanying drawings, illustrating one way in which the inetlmd.iuay be Fig. 3 is a perspective view of the gage and work-supportingfinger; and

Fig. 4 illustrates a portion of a top which has been' cementedinaccordance with my novel method.

The method provided by this invention may be carried out by utilizing a.machine similar to that disclosed in Letters Patent No. 1,682,036 towhich reference has been made above. This has, supported upon a frame10,,a receptacle 12 for delivering cement or other adhesive to anapplying roll '14. The applying surface of this roll may haveprojections 16 extending in series both circumferentially and laterallyof the roll, between which projections are intermediate spaces, servingas pockets to hold the cement which is laid by the points of theprojections uponthe surface to be coated. The width of the applyingsurface of the roll 14 is sulficient. so that it can apply cement toawidth as. greatas that of. any portion of the area to be coated. A pieceof the work is indicated at T iniFig. 4 of the drawings,this being the.toe-portion of the top of a tennis shoe; About it are projections w andcurved depressions b, forming aseries of scallops,

which gradually, decrease in depth from points near the-forwardextremity of the toe to; positions at, each side of the toe. Thescalloped portion of the upper is thus bounded by the tips of theprojections. The full height of-thesescallops is tobe coated, and also aband 0 Within their basesand along the adjoined body portion. This band,heyondthe toe-portion, extends along the non- I scalloped" portion ateach side of the top as indicated I at 0? and is narrower than the widthof the coating appliedto the scalloped portion. v v

The applying roll 14 is fixed upon the outer end of a shaft 18rotatablein the frame and driven from a suitable source of power.

' Pivoted upon the frame, below the shaft 18,

is-anarmQO, in which is rotatably mounted a shaft 22 alsodriven andhaving secured to it, beneath the roll 14; a pressure andworksupportingrol'l-24. This ro1l'24, having a knurled portion 27, isarranged to assist in feeding the. work by force applied to the bodyportion alongca path substantially parallelto the general direction ofthe edge of the material such that the scallops are avoided. The arm:with the shaft and roll may beraised to bring the latter intocooperation with the applying roll by treadle or spring mechanism (notillustrated), the upward movement being limited by a? stopscrew 25carried by the arm and contacting with the overhanging portion of theframe. In the improved machine here shown, the roll 24, having its outeredge outside the corresponding edge of the applying roll 14, is arrangedto underlie said roll 14 for a width substantially equal to the width ofthe coated area (5 upon the work and adjacent to the roll 24, at itsinner side, is an associated pressure and work-supporting men'iher,preferably consisting of a finger 28. which may be of castmctal or otherrigid material, this finger having a supporting shank 29, from which itcurves upwardly and rearwurdly substantially concentrically with theperiphery of the roll 24. Its width is here shown as substantially equalto the maximum depth of the scallops and is at least a substantialfraction of such depth. In the illustrated machine, this finger ismounted upon a block 30, which also furnishes a work-gage and which iscarried by the arm 20. To this it is secured by a screw 32 passingthrough a horizontal slot 34 in the block and threaded into the arm. Bythis mounting the gag block may be varied in its position with relationto the applying roll to change the width of the area to be coated. Tothe war of the block the shank 29 of the finger is fixed by screws 36passing through slots 38 in the shank and engaging the block. Thisslot-and-screw connection furnishes an adjustment for the finger towardand from the applying roll; but once the correct )osition is determined,this may remain unchanged. The proper location for the finger in theperformance of the work for which this apparatus is particularlydesigned is just below the adjacent periphery of the su porting. roll24, so that the cement carried by the applying roll 14 will at all timesbe out of contact with the finger, and the work between the finger andapplying roll will be subjected to less pressure than that portionbetween said applying roll and the sup )orting roll 24. Upon the block30 prufetermined gaging points are provided by two substantiallyvertical work-guiding surfaces 40 and 42, the former being nearly invertical alinement with the inner edge of the applying surface of theroll 14, while the surface 42 is at the outer end of the block adjacenttothe side of the roll 2-1. The distance between the guiding surface 40and the outer edge of the applying roll corresponds to the maximum widthof the area to be coated. including the projections and the band 0within them. When the surface 42 is employed as a guide, the spacecoated is that indicated tifi such as the gage surface 42. As he guidesthe outer edge of the work against this or in vertical alinement withit, he advances the end of the work between the rolls 14 and 2a, which,in their rotation, feed it forward, the former applying to it acoatingof cement from the receptacle 12 to cover the area (5. In thisconnection, the finger 28 is inactive, being beyond the edge of thework, but is suiiiciently removed from the cement-laden surface of theroll 14 so that it is not daubed by it. As the scalloped portion at thetoe is approached, the operator shifts the work laterally between therolls without stopping the machine so as to guide this portion of theedge of the work by positioning the tips of the projections withreference to another predetermined point such as the gage surface 40.When the other side portion (Z is reached, the work is again shifted andguided by the gage 42.

At this time, both the roll 24; and the finger 28 are effective tomaintain the material in engagement with the applying roll, theprojections of the scallops being held with so little pressure againstthe applying roll that they are not displaced, and the separationbetween the applying roll and the finger keeping the latter clean duringthe passage of the depressions 6. Having rounded the toe-portion, thework is again moved laterally during its progressive treat ment toutilize the surface 42 as a guide and complete the coating of thenarrower area 03 at the opposite side.

Having described the invention, what I claim as new and desire to secureby Letters Patent of the United States is:

1. The method of coating with adhesive sheet material having projectionsfrom a body-portion, which consists in feeding the sheet materialrelatively to a coating memher in coating applying relation thereto withless pressure applied to the projections to hold them in coatingapplying relation to the coating member than is applied to the body ofthe work for the same purpose.

2. That improvement in methods of applying a coating of adhesive to theprojecting parts and to the adjacent periphery of the body'portion of ashoe upper having a scalloped edge which comprises holding the shoe u era ainst a coatin member with i b b only a moderate. pressure against theprojecting parts of the scallops of the shoe upper and with a greaterpressure against the adjacent area of thebody of the shoe upper as acoating is applied thereto.

3. That improvement in methods of heat ing flexible sheet material, apart of the edge of which is scalloped, and is thereby provided withalternative indentations and projections of which the latter extendbeyond the body of the iece of material, and a part of the edge 0 whichis free from scallops, characterized by applying cement to the margin ofsaid scalloped material the general directionof the edge of the.

material, closely adjacent to the edge of the non-scalloped part of thematerial but removed from the edge of the scalloped part of the materialsuflioiently to avoid said projections and indentations.

t. The method of treating the edge portion of a shoe upper, a part ofthe edge of which is scalloped, and is thereby provided with alternateindentations and projections of which the latter extend beyond the bodyof the piece of material, and a part of which is free from scallops, asit is moved during the application of a coating thereto, which comprisesguiding the shoe upper by positioning its edge with reference to onepredetermined point when applying a band of coating material to theperiphery of the unscalloped portion of the work, shifting the work, andthen guiding it by positioning the tips oi. said projections withreference to another predetermined point when applying a band of coatingmaterial to the periphery of the scalloped portion of the work.

5. The method of coating sheet material having projections from thebody-portion thereof, which consists in feeding the work relatively to acoating member in coating applying relation thereto with less pressureon the projections than on the body of the work. i

6. The method of coating work having projections from abody-portion,which consists inholding a coating member and the work inapplying relation with less pressure over the projections than over thebody of the work.

7. The method of treating the edge portion of a piece of flexiblematerial suitable for use in foot-wear as said piece of material ismoved. progressively past the treating device in accordance with whichthe action of the treating device with respect to diiierent parts of theedge of the material is varied by guiding said material with referenceto one predetermined point during the treatment of one part of the edgeof the material and by shifting; the work so as to guide it by referenceto another predetermined point in. treating another part of thematerial.

8. The method of treating the edge por tion of a piece of flexiblematerial suitable for use in foot-wear as said piece of material ismoved progressively past the treat iug device in accordance withwhicl'i. the

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action of the treating device with respect to bring the ed e of the workinto position to different parts of the edge of the maso that it may ieguided with reference to teriel is determined by feeding the workanother gage point laterally displaced from 10 to give it asubstantially continuous movethe first point. ment, guiding it duringsuch movement by In testimony whereof I have signed my reference to onepoint, and shifting the Work name to this specification. laterallyduring such continuous movement JOHN W. COSGROVE.

